AT A GLANCE
- Mandatory accessibility rating system launched by Abu Dhabi’s DMT in March 2025, after a one-year pilot.
- Applies first to new developments, then extends to existing buildings and spaces.
- Three tiers: Community, Public Realm and Building.
- Four levels: Accessible, Adaptable, Inclusive and Exemplar.
- Assessed across design, construction and operation, with periodic reassessment of built assets.
A shift in how accessibility is assessed
Accessibility is no longer just about providing a ramp, an accessible toilet or a compliant doorway. It is about how people arrive, navigate, understand and use places safely and independently. Abu Dhabi’s Sahel Rating System gives that experience a structured, measurable framework.
Launched by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) in March 2025 after a one-year pilot, Sahel, Arabic for “ease”, is mandatory. It applies first to new developments and will later extend to existing buildings and spaces. Assessments cover three tiers: Community (communities and master-planned developments), Public Realm (public and open spaces) and Building. The aim goes beyond minimum dimensional compliance: owners and designers must show how inclusive design performs in practice.
Understanding the four rating levels
Each tier is rated on four progressive levels. Accessible is the baseline, requiring all applicable mandatory credits (for existing or renovated assets, all available points within the mandatory credits); higher levels reward increasing adoption of recommended and best-practice measures.
Two points matter in practice.
First, both new and existing assets should reach Accessible at pre-certification stage to obtain the municipal building permit, and the handbooks set Adaptable as the target for new government and semi-government projects.
Second, the percentages never replace mandatory compliance. Applicability, criteria and evidence must be confirmed against the relevant handbook for each project.
Who does what in Sahel
Projects are registered through the TAMM portal, after which a defined team takes the asset through pre-certification, certification and renewal:
- Asset owner
- Typically the developer or owner; applies for the pre-certificate and certificate and signs the Accessibility Statement.
- Asset developer
- Shapes the asset’s function at early design stage and oversees its delivery.
- Sahel Qualified Professional (SQP)
- A DMT-trained and assessed individual who should sit on every project team, following Sahel processes through design, construction and operation and ensuring the asset meets the requirements agreed at the applicability check.
- Assessor
- Reviews the accessibility strategy and evidence submitted for the project and confirms the rating to DMT.
- Accessibility consultant
- Provides specialist technical advice to the project team on meeting Sahel criteria.
- Accessibility bodies
- Consulted when the consultant, SQP, assessor or DMT consider it necessary, bringing user and community perspectives.
- DMT (Certifying Institution)
- Maintains and operates the system, trains professionals, and issues certificates and credentials.
Clear roles matter: appointing the SQP and accessibility consultant early helps avoid gaps in evidence at each submission stage.
What changes for design teams?
The biggest shift is treating accessibility as a design parameter from concept stage, not a final-stage checklist. The building credits span:
- integrated design
- transport access
- circulation
- ergonomic equipment
- environmental comfort
- hygiene facilities
- digital accessibility
- orientation and communication
- emergency systems
- maintenance
- use-specific provisions
Routes must work as continuous journeys, from parking or public transport, through the site approach and entrance, to reception, lifts and the final destination. A compliant lift does not fix an inaccessible route to its lobby, and a wide corridor does not solve wayfinding, door operation, reach ranges or the needs of people with sensory and cognitive disabilities.
From drawings to verifiable outcomes
Sahel distinguishes between specifying an accessible feature and proving it stays usable. It applies at three stages:
Design
Compliance is verified through DMT’s approval process. Teams should complete an applicability review, set an accessibility strategy and build requirements into coordinated drawings and specifications.
Construction
Audits confirm the design is built as intended, catching what drawings miss: gradients altered by finishes, obstructed routes, poorly positioned controls or inconsistent signage.
Operation
Certificates are valid for five years, after which built assets are reassessed. Renewal relies on an updated Accessibility Statement, scorecards, maintenance records and user feedback.
Maintenance is part of the rating. An out-of-service platform lift, a blocked route or a broken assistive feature can undermine an otherwise well-designed environment.
Implications for existing assets
As Sahel extends to existing buildings and spaces, owners should plan now. A structured audit should separate critical barriers, applicable mandatory provisions and enhancements that lift the user experience beyond the baseline.
Interventions vary in complexity. Signage, furniture layouts and operational practices are often quick wins; structural circulation constraints or major vertical-access changes may need feasibility studies and phased investment. A documented action plan helps owners sequence works against a target rating.
A practical approach to Sahel readiness
Five steps improve Sahel readiness:
- Set up an accessibility responsibility matrix at project outset.
- Identify which Sahel credits apply to the asset and assign evidence requirements to each discipline.
- Review the accessibility strategy alongside architecture, landscape, transport, wayfinding, digital and life safety packages at every design milestone.
- Focus coordination on interfaces: curb ramps and crossings, entrance thresholds, accessible sanitary facilities, lift controls, signage and emergency communication.
- For operational assets, involve facilities management teams and people with lived experience of accessibility barriers.
Done well, assessment becomes a tool for finding gaps before they turn into costly changes or lasting barriers.
Designing for real people
Sahel’s value lies in shifting the focus from isolated features to the quality of a person’s whole journey, for people of determination, older people, pregnant women, families with young children and anyone with a temporary or situational limitation.
Early input from qualified accessibility consultants reduces redesign, clarifies responsibilities and keeps technical decisions consistent. After certification, periodic reassessment and good facility management protect performance. The real measure of success is not the rating itself, but whether people can use spaces with greater safety, independence and dignity.